


Stolen Moments

by agentlukaofshield (lukadarkwater)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: 4x05, 4x06, Canon Compliant, Coda Challenge, Cuddles, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, House Hunting, Mentions of past verbal abuse, Post 4x07, in relation to fitz's father, mutual wound cleaning, post 4x01, post 4x02, post 4x04, post 4x09, post 4x12
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8144408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lukadarkwater/pseuds/agentlukaofshield
Summary: My collection of season 4 coda fics. Either missing scenes from the episodes or what happened after the fact.





	1. 4X01

Jemma sighed in frustration for the fifth time in five minutes and returned to glaring at her tablet screen with reluctance.

She should have known, when she got three frantic messages in a row from three different lab techs before the sun was even up, how this day would go. Yet, as she had hurriedly gotten dressed, stopping only to press a quick kiss to a very grumpy and sleepy Fitz before heading out of their bunk for the lab, she had promised herself that she would get her work done quickly-- maybe even before Fitz for once.

However, as she had watched the clock on her desk tick past 10pm, she had sadly lain that hope to rest.

Now she was still stuck in the lab staring at the same results that had been running her and her gaggle of lab assistants in circles all day. Every variation they had tried had failed and she had finally ordered everyone to leave her alone for a while. She needed some space to think without anyone else trying to tell her what they thought she should do.

Jemma wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she had ordered them away, but it was enough for her to feel her own exhaustion start to weigh her down. She had already read the same paragraph four times without really taking in what it was saying and was wondering exactly how important these results were when she felt a pair of warm and familiar arms slide around her waist.

As Fitz’s face nuzzled in against her neck, his stubble-covered chin scratching against her skin, her body instantly relaxed into him, soaking in his presence and the feeling of his arms pulling her back against his chest.

It wasn’t until she felt his lips press into the soft patch of skin between her neck and shoulders (a place that never failed to make her shiver) that she realized exactly where she was and what he was doing.

“Fitz!” She snapped, trying to tug herself away from him, “What are you doing?”

“Jemma, we’re the only people in here.”

“Well, that’s simply not true there are-” she lifted her head up to look for the co-workers that were surely witnessing his excessive PDA only to be met with a very empty and silent lab.

“Where is everyone?” she asked.

“Well, it’s one in the morning so probably in bed.” Fitz answered, his lips still pressed against her skin

“One in the morning?! Surely it can’t be that late….” But, as she glanced at the clock on her desk, the numbers confirmed his statement. With a groan she leaned back into Fitz; no wonder she was feeling so tired.

“Speaking of bed, let’s go,” he murmured, letting out a yawn, “It’s way past our bedtimes.”

“But I’ve still not figured out these test results! I’ve been at it all day so I need to get something done before-”

“Jemma,” he cut her off, turning her around lightly to face him in his arms “It’s late and everyone else has already gone to bed. If the Director really wants to get angry at someone, he can get angry at one of the techs.”

Jemma bit her lip, debating. On one hand, she was exceedingly tired. Tthis long day was just one of the many that she had had in the past couple of weeks. Fitz’s warmth and the feeling of his arms around her were relaxing however, she really did need to figure out the results.

Just as she was about to tell him that she was going to stay up a bit longer, Fitz turned his puppy dog eyes on her before leaning forwards to brush their noses together.

“Come on, love, it’s late and you’ve been staring at that page for twelve hours. Let’s go to bed.”

It was completely unfair, she thought as she felt her heart melt into a puddle at his pleading blue eyes and his gentle affection, that he had this kind of effect on her. If she had had a hard time not indulging Fitz before they started dating, it was pretty much impossible to resist now.

Shoulders slumping in defeat, she clicked the lock button on her tablet and put it down on the table before leaning her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Alright, you win. Let’s go to bed.”

She could feel him smile against her head and one of his hands stroked up her back, making her melt against him a little more, before pulling away and taking her hand to lead her out of the lab.

They got ready for bed quickly, both of them eager to sink into the sheets and sleep for the few hours that remained of the night. Too tired to even bother with her normal pajamas, Jemma grabbed one of Fitz’s old t-shirts and threw that on over her knickers before crawling into bed and curling around her boyfriend.

His arm extended automatically for her to rest her head on his chest and she smiled as she felt him press his customary kiss to the top of her head. It was something he’d done since the first night they had slept together after having, well, slept together, and she found it extremely endearing.

As she felt her eyes drifting closed, her body readily giving up the fight after spending all day on her feet in the lab, she nuzzled in closer to Fitz. Even though she would always miss working with Fitz, she had to make sacrifices currently in order to keep him, and everyone they loved, safe. One day, they would have the future she had always dreamed about, one that involved a small cottage in Scotland, but for now she had to make do with these small stolen moments. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was necessary.

“I love you,” she muttered, her words sounding a bit slurred to her own ears and she hardly heard him echo the words back to her before she succumbed to her exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something quick I wrote last night because I couldn't let go of the idea that Fitz would totally do something like this at some point. 
> 
> Also, I'm a sucker for cuddles and will grab onto any flimsy excuse to write them.


	2. 4X02

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I ended up just making this a compilation of fics instead of a one off since I ended up writing another coda for 4X02.
> 
> I'll probably do one for each episode, or at least try to as long as my motivation and energy lasts lol. 
> 
> Anyway, yes I wrote more cuddles. But I have no shame because they are a /different sort of cuddles.... what's what I'm sticking with anyway.

Jemma paced around her and Fitz’s shared bunk impatiently, her head spinning with everything that had happened in such a short span of time.

Her concern for May was at the forefront of her mind but her guilt also loomed in the background. She should have known that something was wrong with her as soon as she had gotten back, should have figured out what was in the box that had driven the gang members mad, should have run tests on her to make sure she was okay, but she hadn’t. Now May was being flown off to who knows where and she was once again powerless to help her friends.

Just as she was considering going back to the lab to work on the box, the door to their bunk opened and Fitz walked in.

Relief washed over Jemma at the sight of him. Though she knew he and Mack had gotten back from the mission unharmed, she hadn’t been able to see them right away as they were both called in for debriefing.

However, as she took in his face and the expression he wore her relief faded only to be replaced by worry once more.

“Fitz?”

His eyes met hers briefly before he was walking over and wrapping his arms around her. She blinked in shock as he hugged her tightly to him, burying his face in her neck and shuddering out a long sigh.

“Fitz, what’s wrong?” she asked, stroking one hand up his back as her brow furrowed with worry.

“I saw Daisy tonight” he muttered, “She saved me and Mack.”

Jemma froze in his arms, unsure whether to be more concerned about Daisy showing up at the lab or the fact that she had to save him from something.

“The lab we were in was rigged to blow. More of those “ghost” things were there and they had set the reactor to explode. Daisy and …. well I can’t really explain who she was with, I’ll tell you about that tomorrow once we’re in the lab, they came in and saved us.”

Jemma took a breath, focusing on Fitz’s warmth in her arms as she willed herself to calm down. After all, Fitz was fine, not a scratch on him. Yet, the side of her that always worried about him when he went out into the field couldn't stop screaming that he had almost been blown up today.

“Again” she thought bitterly, her memories harkening back to his run in with the Watchdogs and the bomb that had almost caused him to implode.

But she knew Fitz and she knew that what was troubling him so deeply was more likely the fact that he had seen their friend again after so long.

“I assume she got away again? Before you guys could try and stop her?”

Fitz was silent for a moment, before he pulled away from her without meeting her eyes.

Jemma drew in a long breath as she watched him shrug off his jacket and begin to get ready for bed. 

“Yeah, that’s what happened. She got away again.” Fitz said, still not meeting her eyes.

On top of the worry and guilt she was already feeling came a deep feeling of frustration. When she had first gotten promoted, they had discussed what would happen when Fitz eventually had to lie to her to protect someone. They had both known it was going to happen, the new Director's strict rules and lie detections made it impossible for Jemma to keep things from their new boss. So, that meant Fitz would sometimes have to hide things from her, even if it frustrated her to no end.

As she watched him quickly change into his pajamas and get into bed, she knew that was exactly what was happening now. He was so upset because of what had really happened with Daisy, and he couldn't tell her because the information would go straight to the director, leading to a reprimand.

She trusted Fitz, however, trusted him completely and so she didn’t push him. Whatever had really happened wasn’t enough of a concern for him to call in the rest of Shield and she would have to be content with that for the moment.

Fitz broke the silence at last by saying, “I heard about May. I’m so sorry, Jemma”

Just like that, her other worries came rushing back in and she felt body grow heavy with the weight of them.

Slipping into bed beside him, she moved to curl up against his chest, nuzzling into the fabric of his t-shirt and squeezing her eyes shut. Fitz responded eagerly, wrapping his arms around her and burrowing his nose into her hair.

“It was awful, Fitz. She took down her entire strike team before they could stop her. Coulson said she was screaming. I can’t even imagine what she’s going through right now.”

She felt his arms tighten around her and when next he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper, “We’ll figure it out, together. We’ll save her, it’s what we do. I believe in you.”

Jemma tried to believe him, but it was hard to when it felt like, each time something like this happened, it was getting further and further out of the bounds that she could even begin to understand. The world was changing around them with new and incredible things happening every day and she felt like they were miles behind just trying to pick up what little pieces were left for them.

Curling into Fitz as much as she could, she tried to let her mind go blank. Being around Fitz always calmed her down and she tried to concentrate on that as she willed herself to sleep. Yet she could still feel the tension in his own body, the secrets that he couldn’t share with her clearly still troubling him, and it made it nearly impossible to relax.

So they stayed like that. Neither of them talking, just soaking in each other’s presence and the fact that, even after everything, they were still there together. Even if the rest of the world burned around them that would never change, Jemma promised herself fiercely.

She would never let go of Fitz. Nothing could tear them apart forever, that much they had proven to be a fact.


	3. 4X03

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to the promo from 4X04 for inspiring this one, the unexpected motivation was greatly appreciated 
> 
> Also, this chapter is unbetaed because my normal beta is out of town this weekend so sozzle for any errors

Ever since she was little, Jemma Simmons had been a planner.

She loved plans, loved making them, loved following through on them, but more than anything she loved figuring out how all of the pieces would connect to form the end goal.

At seventeen, her life plan had been beautifully simple: keep working next to Fitz in their lab for the rest of the foreseeable future. At seventeen, that was all she had needed. Fitz and their lab and the promise of endless days spent figuring out the world side by side.

Years later, her plan shifted a little, as fear of missing out on some unknown adventure in the world drew her and a begrudging Fitz out of their lab and into the air. But still, the main parts of her plan did not change.

The real change occurred quietly and without Jemma really even noticing it. All of a sudden “their lab” became a home in Perthshire. “With Fitz” became with Fitz and a small gaggle of blue eyed curly haired children. “For the rest of the foreseeable future” became forever and it wasn’t until she truly allowed herself to love and to be loved by Fitz that she realized she was consciously working towards this newly revised plan.

It wasn’t until the day when she stopped May’s heart only to restart it minutes later that she finally began to share this plan with Fitz himself.

They were curled up together in their bed, the base having been given the night off after Mace’s speech, reading on their respective tablets as Jemma’s mind whirled with the implications of what had happened merely hours ago.

In truth, she probably should have been thinking about May and the “battery” that Radcliffe had used to save her but every time she tried to think about that, her mind just wandered back to the same path it had been on ever since that evening.

It was a bit strange to think about, they had lived in the shadows for over three years by that point and she had gotten used to not existing. To having her forged passport and driver's license, standard Shield issue of course, to falling out of touch with all of her old friends because they couldn't communicate with them, to having the knowledge that she Jemma Simmons, could never actually own a property because she wasn’t real.

Yet, in the past couple of hours all of that had changed. Well, maybe not instantly, but it was coming. Soon, they would all be reinstated as legitimate government officials. She would once again have her own driver's license and passport. Jemma Simmons would no longer be a ghost, but a real person once more.

The implications of that fact had settled into her almost instantly and now, she could finally see the last connection in her plan. She could finally start making steps towards it becoming a reality and her mind spun with it.

“Jemma,” Fitz’s voice cut through her thinking, jarring her out of her planning and making her turn to him.

His eyes were soft and amused as he looked at her, the permeate dark shadows notwithstanding, and he waved his hand in front of her face, “Earth to Jemma. You’re thinking so loud over there that I couldn’t concentrate.”

She smiled before answering, feeling a faint glow of happiness that even after everything, he could still read her moods with the same ease he had ten years ago.

“I was just thinking about the fact that we’re now, once again, real people,”

“Yeah, it is a bit crazy to think about. I mean, we can now do all the fun real people things like pay taxes, be called for jury duty-”

“Buy a house,” she said it softly, as if it would somehow make the statement not as big as it was.

Fitz’s eyebrows drew together and he looked at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read “Jemma-”

“I mean, it’s just,” she cut him off before he could question her, rambling a bit in her nerves, “I’ve loved sharing a bunk with you and I know it’s terribly convenient to actually live at work but I’ve been thinking that it might be nice to have some space from everything. To have a place all our own and a time we leave the base and clock in in the morning, like a real job.” Fitz didn’t respond right away so she kept rambling, “I’m not ready to leave Shield yet, of course, but we’ve given over ten years of our lives to this organization and I know house prices here are quite high so we’d probably end up in a flat but I was just thinking it’s the next logical step. And, one day, we might be able to actually own a house and I know we’ve not talked about it again, but I still want it be in Perthshire and-”

Thankfully, Fitz finally cut off her ramblings by firmly pressing his lips against her and she sank gratefully into his kiss, relieved to have been stopped before she got to the part about blue eyed children. They had only been dating for six months and she knew that was probably moving a little fast.

When Fitz finally moved back, they were both breathing a little heavily but he was beaming at her so she took that as a good sign.

“Jemma,” he said fondly, leaning his forehead against hers, “I take it you’ve been thinking about this a lot longer than just tonight?”

“Well, I mean, it’s only practical to have a plan.”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, “You’re right but you do realize that we’re hardly going to have “clock in and out times” right? I mean, this isn’t your typical business model operation.”

At his words, her smile returned in full force. “So that’s a yes then, to getting a place off base?”

He leaned forwards and kissed her once more, so sweetly that her bones ached. “Of course it’s a yes. We already live together and, to be honest, I’m more than ready to not have to share a kitchen with a hundred other people.”

“Oh Fitz, it’s going to be so wonderful! We’ll have bay windows and hardwood floors and-”

Whoa whoa whoa,” he laughed, holding up his hands. “You’ve not already found a place have you?”

“What? No! Oh dear, I didn’t even show you, hold on-” Jemma scrambled out of bed, ignoring Fitz’s noise of protest, to grab one of the binders on her shelf.

“I’ve already put together a list of things that I think we’ll need and started working on a preliminary budget. I left spaces for things that you want and of course, we’ll need to talk about location and if you’re okay with just one office because most of our work with be done at the base anyway- why are you laughing?” she asked, indignant as she looked up from her carefully organized house hunting binder.

“You made an entire binder for this stuff?”

“Well, yes! Someone has to be organized and you know that most first time house owners always forget something important when they’re looking so-”

He cut her off once more with a kiss and she was honestly trying to get mad at him but she really did like kissing him so the effort fell a bit flat.

“Jemma, it’s wonderful really, but- wait, how much do you have down for a starting price?”

With that, he tugged over her binder and began flipping through it, muttering about how there was no way that they could afford half of this stuff and Jemma leaned in eagerly to argue her side of things.

Maybe her timeline wasn’t exactly what she would have liked but they were finally making steps towards their future together and Jemma let herself smile just a little bit as she listened to Fitz rant. Even after everything, the central part of her plan had not changed and, she thought fondly as she leaned her head lightly against his shoulder, it never would.


	4. 4X04

As Jemma watched Aida chatting with the rest of the team, her mind churned with the secrets she now kept hidden.

How in the world was she going to hide this during the lie detection? Between Aida and helping Daisy-

Daisy. Jemma blinked slowly a sudden realization coming over her. Fitz had no idea what all had happened that day and he was currently unaware that Daisy was now sitting on the Zephyr.

Taking a deep breath, she reached out for Fitz’s arm, tugging him back around the corner and out of sight of the others. Fitz followed her willingly enough, but his eyes were clouded with confusion as she leaned against the wall and tried to think about to explain the sudden turn of events regarding their rogue friend.

They had all been carrying around their hurt and anger at Daisy since her departure from Shield but Fitz had been taking it worst of all. He and Daisy had grown close in the time following his brain injury and she knew he cared deeply for her, which made her leaving without a word all the more painful. Jemma had been the one to hold him after she had left. To feel his muscles tense as he tried to hold in his feelings and to see the dark circles under his eyes in the days after. He was worried about and angry at their friend and, after the last time he has seen her, it had only grown more potent.

Now, hearing that she had come at least somewhat willingly back to Shield would only make him angrier and she decided that the best way to tell him would be to just be upfront with him.

“Daisy is on the Zephyr. She and Robbie, the guy with the flaming head. They helped us figured out and take down the person responsible for leaking Inhuman information to the Watchdogs.” she blurted out, rushing in an attempt to somehow make the blow hurt less.

She watched his face as he processed what she said. Confusion lit his face for a moment before she saw his hands clench at his sides and his blue eyes turned to chips of ice.

“So why hasn’t she run? Now that the part she needed us for is over.” he spat out, his left arm shaking slightly and she reached out to wrap his fist in both of her hands.

“Coulson says they might have found what made the ghosts, a book of some sort. They’re going to try and find it and Daisy and Robbie are going to help him.”

Fitz shut his eyes, bringing his free hand up to rub at his face in frustration. “I don’t know where she gets off. She can’t come crawling back to us every time she needs help.”

“I know,” Jemma sighed, “I told her as much myself when I was sewing her up.”

Fitz started at that, his eyes opening to look at her in shock, “Sewing her up? Jemma, what-”

“Remember that apartment I went to see this morning?” Fitz nodded slowly, “Daisy was there. She had apparently set the whole thing up because she needed medical attention.”

“So she sent you to a fake apartment? How did she even know we were- oh, she’s been tracking your search history, hasn’t she?”

Jemma nodded, her fingers finally managing to slip in between the fingers on his left hand.

“Yes, but that’s the thing… the apartment wasn’t fake.”

“What do you mean?”

“Daisy she, she well, she might have gotten it for us?”

Fitz’s mouth actually dropped open in shock and if she wasn’t so worked up, she might have laughed at the sight. As it was, she only smiled tightly. “So I guess the day wasn’t a total loss after all.”

Fitz stared at her for a moment, his jaw working like he was trying to find something to say, before he took a deep breath and let it go slowly. Then, he slumped forwards into her shoulder, catching her off guard.

“She could have at least asked us before signing the lease.” he muttered into her neck, and she huffed a laugh

“Well, to be fair, it did look quite perfect. Of course you’ll need to see it before we decide anything but, I liked what little I saw.”

Fitz sighed, taking a moment to breath against her skin before pulling away and straightening back up, a frown creasing his features.

“Wait, how did you two end up mixed up with the Watchdogs?”

Jemma sighed, tightening her hold on his hand “Daisy was trying to figure out how they were getting the information on Inhumans and well, I might have helped her with that?”

“And that’s another one of the secrets that you want to keep from the Director.”

Jemma nodded, the weight of her worry settling over her once more. “Yes that’s another thing that’s worrying me about tomorrow. I don’t know if I can lie about all of that without the test picking up on it.”

“There has to be some way. Hell, Ward managed to fool that thing once. It can be done, we just need to figure out how.”

“Yes, but Ward was a trained specialist. I haven’t had actual classes on lying.”

Fitz shrugged, “You’re right, but you’re much better than Ward ever was. And you’ve got me helping you. There’s never been a problem we can’t fix together.”

Jemma smiled and then, reached up to kiss him softly. He returned the kiss just as sweetly, squeezing her hand as she dropped away from him.

“I missed you.” she said, leaning her forehead against his shoulder and letting his presence calm her nerves.

“I missed you too,” he muttered, leaning his head on hers, “And, for the record, there were so many times during Aida’s development that I was this close from asking your opinion on something. I miss working with you, Jemma, I miss you always.”

She felt her heart twist at his words and she dropped his hands to slip her arms fully around his waist, burying herself in him as much as she could.

Fitz’s hands came up and wrapped around her in return, hugging her close and pushing his face into her hair.

Standing in the hallway wrapped up in her best friend the voices of their coworkers echoing down the hall to fill their ears, Jemma forced herself to believe that they would be able to make it out of the situation. Fitz was right, they were smart enough to work their way out of this, it would just take some planning. Then, maybe, they could go and take a look at the apartment together.

That idea alone was enough to give her the strength to straighten up and link their hands together before walking back to join the rest of the team. She and Fitz had been working to build their life together and she was not going to let anything stand in the way of that. Nothing was strong enough to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super happy with how this turned out but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	5. 4X05

Fitz knew he was in trouble from the moment he was pulled out of his sleep by his blaring alarm clock. With a groan, he rolled over to curl himself around Jemma, a habit he had gotten into since they had started sharing a bunk. Instead of her sleep-warm body, however, his hands only found cool sheets.

He sat up, confused as to why his girlfriend wasn’t in their bed, just in time to see her disappear out of the door without so much as a goodbye. He blinked in confusion at the closing door and a small seed of worry began to blossom in his chest. While she often had to be up before him, she always made sure to wish him a good day before leaving the sanctity of their bedroom. In fact, for the past couple of weeks, both of them had taken to lingering in bed before starting their days. Since the time they spent together during the daylight hours was so few and far in between, mornings and evenings had been their only real time together and they both treasured the few moments they had.

Her behavior was so unusual that he wondered if, perhaps, she was still mad at him after all.

The night before, they had left Radcliffe’s quickly after Jemma had realized exactly what Aida was and, since it was already pretty late, he hadn’t really questioned the fact that she was more quiet than usual. She had still curled up against his chest (though now he wondered if that was more out of habit than anything) and so he had assumed that she had already shaken off any of the anger she felt at him for keeping Aida a secret.

Now, however, faced with the lack of a goodbye from his absent girlfriend, he was quickly coming to the confusion that she was much angrier with him than he had previously thought.

With a groan Fitz sat up and reached for his phone. He was well aware of how Jemma could get when she was angry, he had lived through the Great Lab Fight of Senior Year at the Academy after all, so he knew it was best to start making it up to her as soon as possible.

He typed out a quick good morning message to her, complete with an adorable gif of a smiling monkey, and sent it off before rolling out of their bed. Though he was mildly grumpy about the lack of morning cuddles, he knew better than to get himself worked up about it. He was the one in trouble and getting frustrated at her would not help his case.

After a quick show and throwing on the first shirt that caught his eye, he went straight to the kitchen and prepared them both tea. Even angry, Jemma wouldn’t be able to resist tea made exactly how she liked it and he planned to use that to his full advantage.

In fact, he was feeling pretty good about the whole thing and anticipated the tiff being over by lunch time as he walked into the lab.

Though Jemma didn’t spend nearly as much time in the lab anymore, he knew she would be in today as they would be packing up the injections to send off with the field teams. As he walked in, he spotted her already at her desk doing just that.

With a smile firmly in place, he walked up to Jemma and sat her mug of tea down next to her.

“Good morning, I brought you some tea.” he said, wishing they weren’t in the lab so he could kiss her on the cheek.

Jemma, to his shock, didn’t respond. Instead, she merely glanced over at the tea before counting to measure out the liquid into the distribution containers.

Fitz’s brow furrowed at her lack of response. Though, she had gotten up before him. Perhaps she had already had tea.

Still determined to have the whole thing settled before lunch, he switched tactics.

Coming up even more closely beside her, he lowered his voice to make sure none of the lab techs hovering around could hear them before saying “I missed you this morning. The director is really running you ragged, huh?”

Once more, Jemma didn't respond. She didn't even look at him as she finished up measuring out the antidote. Instead, she brushed past him as if he wasn't even there and walked over to the case that awaited the containers.

Fitz was at a loss. He’s seen her mad at himself before but never this mad, never mad enough to refuse the tea he offered her or his attempt at flirting. It was almost as if….

Ah.

His growing worry was swept out of his mind as he came to the conclusion that had been avoiding him all morning. Jemma wasn’t just mad at him, she was worried about the lie detection and that was the real heart of the matter.

As he watched her starting to put the containers of antidote away, he felt his early confidence return. With a small smile, he walked up to the remaining containers and grabbed them before heading over to the case. Even if Jemma was worried and upset, there was one thing that always got her to talk and that was her work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Fitz is a bit dense and Jemma excels at death glares


	6. 4X06

Jemma tried to linger in the lab as long as she could, going so far as to double and triple check her daily reports before sending them off. Eventually, however, one too many night patrols walked past and gave her funny looks for working so late and so she reluctantly abandoned the space in favor of the one place she was trying to avoid.

 

She knew she was being childish but she also knew that everything would feel different on that particular day. 

 

She slipped through the door and flipped on the overhead light, wincing slightly as the bright fluorescence that they generally avoided using washed the room in its sterile light. She snatched her pajamas out of her drawer and went to the communal bathroom down the hall, her eyes avoiding looking at anything too closely. 

 

Turning up the water to an almost scolding temperature she washed as quickly as she could and focusing on her routine before relocating back to their room and crawling into bed.

 

The faint hope that she had been clinging to all day, that wearing herself out would cause her to go straight to sleep, slipped away as soon as she rolled over onto her side and caught a whiff of Fitz’s scent on his pillow.

 

With a shuddering breath, Jemma finally allowed her mind to wander to the one place that it had been dying to all day. 

 

While she was still angry and more than a bit hurt that he had kept something that big from her, the removal of the threat of her lie detections had her feeling a bit more forgiving. Logically, she knew that he had only kept it from her because he knew that she would have to let the director know about Aida but it still hurt. It hurt that their job - once again - had come between them. It hurt that she wasn’t the one working with him on these kinds of things anymore. But more than anything, it hurt that he wasn’t with her in their bed.

 

The call had come from the Zephyr pretty much as soon as her lie detection had finished: the mission would be extended due to new developments. At the time, she had been a tiny bit relieved. The night before had been tense and leaving Fitz without a proper good morning had been harder for her than she would have liked to admit.

 

Now, however, laying in their bed staring at the place where he usually lay, Jemma decided that this was much worse.

 

In the months since they had started dating, they had shared a bed whenever possible. It was incredibly soothing to listen to his steady breathing beside her, to be rocked to sleep by the movement of his chest up and down, to feel his arms around her warm and comforting and always there whenever she dreamed of blue. The rare nights they spent away from each other were always restless and she could feel the relief coming off of him when they next shared a bed. 

 

This time was decidedly the worst one though. Even though she knew they were supposed to be fighting and that couples did this sort of thing when they were fighting, she hated the entire concept. She had gotten so used to the time together in their room being a sanctuary from the outside world, a place where nothing else mattered but them. It was a naive boundary, one that she had known subconsciously couldn’t last forever but that didn’t stop her from hoping. 

 

Now that it was broken, she felt uncomfortable in the space for the first time. 

 

All around her was reminders of him and them. The framed series of photographs of them over the years on the dresser. His jacket hanging next to hers on the coat rack. Even his blueprints sitting next to her notebook on their desks reminded her of everything and brought a lump into her throat. 

 

With a defeated sigh, she dragged Fitz’s pillow closer to her, curling up around it as best she could and buried her nose in the fabric. As she breathed in his scent, she allowed herself to let go of her anger slowly. She and Fitz had a lot to talk about, the issues that she had with him were still incredibly valid, but she didn’t want to be angry at him anymore. 

 

She wanted him back with her, She wanted them to talk and for them to be okay again. More than anything, she wanted the peace that came with his presence once more. He had always been and would always be her home and the place she always wanted to return to and not having that be an option was so much harder than anything else. 

 

Trying to pretend that the pillow under her head was his chest (it was too soft for the illusion to really work), she allowed her eyes to close and buried herself in his scent as much as possible. Though she wouldn’t get any sleep that night, she could at least help time pass by imagining how wonderful it would feel once they were back together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this a couple of days after 4X06 but held out in hopes of something exciting from the promo stuff from 7. It's been a roller coaster of expectations for Fitzsimmons so we'll just stick with this for now and keep all of our toes and fingers crossed for something good.


	7. 4X07

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gasp a rating change! I mean it was bound to happen sooner or later so why not now?

That night, after, they fell back into their bed their limbs still tangled together and slick with sweat.

 

The only sound that filled the air was the sound of their panting breaths and the click of the air conditioning as it turned on causing Jemma to curl closer to him, stealing his warmth as she always did.

 

He was the first one to make a conscious move, sliding down the bed a bit so he could bury his face into her neck and draw her as close as possible to him.

 

Jemma hummed her approval and he felt her nose nuzzle against his scalp as her arms came up around his neck and shoulders. Allowing his eyes to close, he breathed in her scent - a mix of lavender and something warm and familiar that he could only describe her - before pressing his lips to the delicate skin there. 

 

Under them, he could feel the pulse of blood, settling now that her breathing was returning to normal and his throat closed up at the idea that he could have never had privilege to hold her like this again. To feel her heart race for him as he held her and to hear her whisper soft I love you's against his ear as they both shook and broke apart around each other. 

 

The thought alone made him stiffen and he felt her hand brush through his hair.

 

“Fitz. What's wrong?”

 

He took a second, trying to get his emotions under control before he spoke, and brushed his lips over her skin again.

 

“I almost let it happen again.”

 

“Let what happen again?”

 

“I almost let the universe pull us apart again.”

 

He felt her sign, a brush of air past his ears and he clutched her tighter. Images of that day flashed through his mind and he felt a few tears escape from behind his eyelids.

 

“But you came back to me. Like you always have.” 

 

“I know but the thought of you out there, alone, never getting an answer to where I had gone, Jemma…”

 

She pulled back from him slightly so she could meet his eyes and he wasn't surprised to see her own tears running down her face.

 

“I listened to your voice mails. On the plane ride back. I honestly don't know what I would have done if you hadn't already gotten back.”

 

He nodded, as he brushed her hair back. “I know that feeling.”

 

She took a shaky breath and linked their fingers together, “But I realized something as well. You were right.”

 

The comment pulled a half laugh out of him, “Sorry, can I record you saying that?”

 

She rolled her eyes and tutted, “Ugh, Fitz!” Before her gaze turned serious again.

 

“I told you before that taking this promotion would protect us, protect everyone. And while it has, it hasn't one it well enough. Macs shipped me off to god knows where today and you-” her voice cracked and he learned into brush kisses over her face to calm her. “And you almost died.” 

 

She brought one hand up to cup his face, and he leaned into the gentle stroke of her thumb over his cheek as she continued, “I'm done with being apart from you, Fitz. I'm done letting this job keep us apart and I intend to do everything in my power to keep us together from here on out. Mace’s wishes be damned, I'm not letting this happen again.”

 

Fitz leaned his forehead against hers and said, “I'm not sure how much we can promise that but I swear to you, Jemma, I'm ever going to stop fighting to get back to you, whatever happens.”

 

“I know, and I won't either. You once told me that you couldn't live in a world that didn't have me in it and I feel the same.” With that, she folded him back into her neck, her arms clutching him to her. “You're the most precious thing to me, Fitz. The most precious thing in the world.”

 

Holding her to him just as tightly, he whispered his own promises against her skin. Promises of a day when they would leave Shield and never return. Of a small cottage in the countryside where they might be safe from the world. Of days spent with nothing to do but be together.

 

All the while, she held onto him as well. Their breathing synchronized as they both pictured the perfect world he painted before them. As he felt her finally drifting off to sleep, he whispered just one more thing against her and, as just a sigh of breath he heard her say it back to him.


	8. 4X09

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I break out of my crust of salt, formed by the lack of Fitzsimmons, to bring you this bit of fluff. 
> 
> I saw an opening and I couldn't say no to one of my favorite tropes.

When she finds him, he’s still hunched over Aida’s head.

The base had called on their way back from the senator's house to inform them of what had happened and Jemma knew that Fitz would be taking Aida’s betrayal hard. He had always had a habit of getting attached to his work, but with Aida, it was even easier because it was so lifelike. 

As she approached his desk in their room, Fitz looked up and offered her a sad smile. 

Her eyes instantly focused in on the scratch above his eye and she felt a small flicker of rage in her heart at the robot who had hurt him. 

She reached up and ghosted a finger over it softly.

“You haven’t cleaned this up yet.”

“Been a bit busy,” Fitz said, gesturing to the head on his desk with a slight tilt of his head. “I was going to earlier but then…”

Her hand eased up to stroke through his hair softly and he leaned into her touch, his eyes drooping a bit, “I’m sorry about Aida, I know you and Radcliff put so much time into it.”

He sighed, his shoulders sagging a bit. “It had to be done. Her files were far too corrupted for her to keep going. We’ll just have to move on from there.”

She nodded, and then bent down to retrieve the first aid kit that they kept under their desks. 

Popping it open on the desk, she drew out an antiseptic wipe and reached up to hold his chin steady. 

“May I?” 

“Be my guest, but only if I can get you after.” he replied, his own hand coming up to brush just below her lip. “We’re both a little banged up, today.”

She smiled tiredly at him and began dabbing softly at the cut on his face. 

“You’re lucky you got away with only this,” she said, as she leaned closer to inspect the wound. “Glass doors usually aren’t so forgiving.”

He shrugged, careful not to jostle his head as she smeared on an antibiotic paste, “I’ve survived worse.”

Having finished up with her work, she hopped up onto her desk so he could get a good look at her own wounds. He stepped forwards, so their legs were pressed up against each other and she could see the darker rim of blue around his pupils. 

“Do you ever think there will come a day when we don’t have to do this at the end of a long day?” she asked as he handed her a cold compress for her bruised forehead and rifled around in the kit for another wipe. 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, do you ever think we’ll have a normal job again that doesn’t require us to clean up each other’s wounds after we get home?”

Halting the gentle movement of the wipe against the cuts on her lips he said, “Are you suggesting-?”

“No, at least, not yet. I know we still have a lot of work to do here it’s just… I would quite like to not worry about you every time you step out of my sights.”

Sitting the supplies to the side, he brought his hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking softly over her skin.

“We’ll get there one day. We’ll find that cottage in Perthshire and have the most mundane jobs ever that we’ll complain about everyday, I promise you that.”

Jemma smiled at the mention of Perthshire, even though the teasing. It had become a promise between the two of them, a force behind what she did every day. 

“Now, I think there’s something important that you forgot to do.” he said, leaning towards her, a glint in his eyes.

“Oh? And what is that?”

He pointed to the cut on his forehead, “You didn’t kiss it better? How is it supposed to heal like that?”

Jemma smiled, amazed at how, even after the longest of days, he was able to lift her spirits so effortlessly. Even just being around him made her happy and so she didn’t hesitate before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to his head. 

“There, all better. Now, my turn.” she tilted up her head towards him, a smile forming on her lips because that’s where her kisses should be placed. 

Fitz bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. 

She pouted as he pulled back, one of her hands snaking forwards to tug on the buttons of his shirt. “Cheater”

“And why is that?”

She pointed to her lips, “I’ve got more than one spot that needs to be kissed.”

“Hmm,” he hummed and bent down to press a kiss to the very corner of her mouth, his lips just brushing hers as he started to pull away. She didn’t let him go far, however, as she used her grip on his shirt to keep him in place so she could kiss him properly.

She could feel his smile pressed against her mouth before he gave himself and began kissing her properly, his hand coming up to hold the back of her head in place as he worked his lips against hers. 

When she finally let him break the kiss, they were both breathing heavily and she leaned forwards so her forehead rested against his as she said, “That’s more what I had in mind.”

Fitz smiled, brushing his nose against hers as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. “Well it’s probably completely healed at this point.”

“I don’t know, I think it could use a little more attention.”

This time, both of their smiles pressed up against each other and she let herself get lost in him. Kissing Fitz always felt like a breath of fresh air and even though her heart still ached from the day's events, he was there and he was alive.

As she wound her arms around his neck and he pulled her so close to him that their chests were flush, she forced herself to concentrate on that. Whatever else happened, they were together and that made all the difference.


	9. 4X10

“Oh please, Coulson always made it look so easy.”

She smiled up at him as she spoke but he could tell that she wasn’t in exactly the same frame of mind that he was. 

“Nah, you were amazing. Honestly, you had Talbot quaking in his really uncomfortable looking boots.”

That got an actual laugh out of her and she reached up to tangle their fingers together through the chain links. 

“And why are you complimenting me so much? I’m sensing an ulterior motive, here.” Her smile shifted while she spoke and he felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine as he recognized this new expression. 

“No reason” he said, staring at her mouth and diminishing the believability of his flimsy excuse even further.

Jemma reached out and wrapped her hand around the buttons on his shirt. She stepped forwards until their sped-up breathing mingling in the space between their lips. 

“You are so transparent.” she muttered, eyes warm and wonderful and impossible to look away from.

“Guilty as charged,” he said, leaning in to lightly kiss her neck, delighting in the shiver that action caused. “Watching you boss all those people around today really was quite something, I have to say.”

She let out a choked out laugh as he pressed a kiss to her pulse point and her hands clutched at him. “And to think, all these years you’ve spent complaining about how I’m bossy and yet,” her fingers tugged at his shirt as he trailed up to brush his lips across her cheek “here we are.”

“I’ve got to at least try to keep up appearances.” the hand that wasn’t tangled with hers in the fence moved down to snake around her waist and he pulled her to him until they were pressed together, “Can’t have everyone knowing.”

Jemma laughed again, slipping her hand out from between them and grasping onto his collar instead

“I thought you said you were hungry?” 

“I can wait,” he breathed out, finding it harder and harder to think with her so close to him, her warmth and scent effectively shutting down his brain. 

Jemma raised her eyebrow, “Choosing me over food? You must really be desperate, Fitz.”

“Always.”

At that, Jemma tugged him forwards, their lips meeting in the middle, and Fitz happily kissed her back. 

While they had kissed hundreds of times by now, the feeling never got old.  It was impossible to get used to the feeling of her lips sliding eagerly over his, to feel her hands grasping onto him, and to hear the small gasps and hums she made when he did something that she really enjoyed. 

As he drew her closer to him, lost in the feeling of her body pressed up against his, her mouth eagerly pried his open. Her tongue slipped in to stroke over his and he groaned in the back of his throat. She apparently liked that noise because she moved her hand from his collar to the back of his head and used it to control the way they moved together and set about making him repeat it.

Fitz’s head with spinning, his senses overwhelmed with her, and he began to walk her backwards so he could press her up against the wall closest to them. She went with him easily, arching her back as soon as it hit the wall so she could press against him more fully. When she rolled her hips forwards, however, he had to break away from her to gasp for air as Jemma’s lips moved readily to his neck, making him groan again as he braced himself against the wall with one hand. 

Jemma’s lips moved across his throat with practiced ease, nipping here and there and causing him to clutch her tighter to him. Even through his Jemma induced haze, he realized that this was not exactly the ideal place to go any further and he tried to pull his thoughts together enough to say it to her.

“Jemma,” he gasped, the end turning into a moan as she rolled her hips again, “We should- can we - room?” he finished lamely. 

She didn’t respond, choosing instead to reach up and pull him down again, her lips capturing his with a ferocity that did everything but calm with down and he completely forgot what he was trying to say to her. 

When she pulled back, he blindly followed only stopping when she leaned her head back against the wall and chuckled breathily. Her lips were flushed and swollen from his attention, hair mussed from his hand and the wall behind her, and he would swear that he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life. 

“You’re right. Here’s not exactly the best place to continue this.” she said, pressing in against him again and causing him to moan quietly. 

She reached up and traced one finger over his jaw, watching avidly as the muscles there twitched at her touch. 

“But, just so we’re clear,” she said, the spark in her eye turning dangerous as she leaned forwards so their lips brushed together, “I’m in charge tonight, right, Fitz?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he breathed, his heart lurching at her tone of voice. 

“Good boy,” she said, softly and then slid out from between him and the wall. “Come on, then,”

She held her hand out for him and Fitz early grabbed onto it, causing her to smile as he bent down to kiss her one last time. 

They somehow managed to make it back to their room without doing anything that would make the other agents too offended if they should see them and, once Fitz had locked the door, Jemma reached up to draw him into another hungry kiss. 

So lost in her, he didn’t even noticed that she had maneuvered him to the bed until her hands were on his chest and pushing him down.

He landed a bit ungracefully before scrambling up to clutch at her hips as she straddled him. 

As her fingers began to make quick work of the buttons on his shirt and her lips and tongue made him dizzy with the promises they were making against his mouth, he thanked every known force in the universe that he was exactly where he was. Jemma’s smile (though it had a predatory edge to it, not that he minded that one bit) told him that she was feeling the exact same way and he let himself get lost in her as she pushed him the rest of the way down onto the bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe that Fitz actually does get turned on by bossy Jemma? What an incredible gift.


	10. 4X12

Fitz slipped away sometime at the end of the debrief so quietly Jemma didn’t even notice until she looked up to ask him if he was ready to leave. 

 

She left her throat close up a little as she realized what had happened, that she hadn’t been watching him closely enough to notice when he left, and excused herself to return to their room. 

 

He was laying on their bed when she got there, wrapped up around a pillow - her pillow she realized - his chin resting on top of it and his arms wrapped firmly around the middle. 

 

He didn’t acknowledge her presence and, as his back was to the door, she couldn’t see his face.  Yet, she knew.  She knew from his unusual silence and the tension so clearly defined in his shoulders and back. So, without a word, she climbed in behind him. 

 

Imitating his hold on her pillow, she curled up behind him so their three figures created concentric half circles on the sheets. Beneath her hands, she could feel how stiff his muscles were, as if he hadn’t moved or allowed them to relax since crawling into the bed. Shutting her eyes and leaning her chin against his hair, she reached out with one hand and folded it over one of his where it clutched at the pillow. 

 

For a moment, he didn’t move and she didn’t either, then his own fingers relaxed and he wove them with hers. Twisting her other hand around, she slowly began to card her fingers through his hair, despite the somewhat awkward angle, in a move that she knew from experience calmed him down. 

 

Over the years, the two of them had talked about his father in fits and starts. He had pretty much not mentioned  him for the first two years that she had known him and it wasn’t until she had asked him about it one day that he had began to tell her the story. 

 

He didn’t tell her everything at once. In fact, the first time she asked all she got was a gruff “he’s not around” and Fitz had been in a bad mood the rest of the day. After that, she had slowly worked the full story from him, asking questions when and if the occasions arose but, even now, he didn’t like to talk about it. 

 

Jemma didn’t really blame him. It was a horrible thing to think about. Having someone who was supposed to love and care about you unconditionally be the person who shut you down and made you feel small. She had long since realized that a lot of her best friend’s insecurities and unwillingness to accept his own accomplishments had stemmed from his father’s abusive behavior and her heart ached for him. 

 

She wished more than anything that she could do something to try and change what had happened to him, to help him see his own value, but she knew she could do no more than love him with her whole heart and let that do what it would. 

 

Jemma was pulled out of her thoughts by Fitz turning around to face her.  He leaned forwards and pressed his face into her neck, his arms coming to curl around her waist and he leaned up against the hand still running through his hair like a cat. A sigh accomplished his movements and she felt some of the tension leave his body with the sound. 

 

“Nearly 30 years old and the mention of that bastard still makes me feel like I’m five all over again.” He muttered against her skin, breaking the silence of the room. 

 

She curled her free hand around his shoulder and pressed her nose against his hair, “I know it does. That’s why I stopped you from punching that robot in the face, I don’t think it would have ended well for you hand.”

 

He didn’t laugh at her attempt at a joke, instead he said, “Yeah well, he’s lucky you were there at all. You and Mum are about the only thing that keeps me calm when I think about him.”

 

Jemma felt tears unexpectedly prick at the corners of her eyes at his words. While she knew it was true, the fact that his hand was not currently possibly broken by punching the metal frame of the LMD was proof enough of that, comments like that always drew her back to the time when the sight of her was almost enough to set him off into a panic attack. 

 

Though they had talked through a lot of the issues they had had at that time, it still hurt her to know that her name could have easily been on the list of people he felt had betrayed him and not amongst those who helped him. 

 

“ _ Never again, _ ” she thought fiercely, cradling her whole world against her, “ _ Never again. _ ”

 

“I meant what I said earlier, Fitz,” she said out loud, “Whatever he said and did, you’re the bravest and kindest person I’ve ever met. His actions do not define you and never have. I know who you are, and you’re wonderful.”

 

He nuzzled closer into her neck and she choose not to mention the slight dampness she felt there, only kept her hand moving through his hair comfortingly. 

 

Exhaling a shaky breath, he pulled back a little and mumbled, “I know I shouldn’t be lingering over this, not with what all happened today-”

 

“No,” she said fiercely, causing his large blue eyes to finally meet hers, “You’re allowed to be upset over this, Fitz. Don’t try to diminish it against what else is happening.”

 

He looked at her in silence for a moment before surging forwards and crushing his lips to hers. Having been caught unawares, Jemma hardly had time to react before he was pulling back and peppering kisses all over her face. 

 

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” he whispered in between them, causing her throat to swell once more. 

 

“Just being you is more than enough, Fitz. It’s always been enough and it always will be.” 

 

Fitz brought his lips back to hers again. This time, however, the kiss was softer and Jemma responded happily to his lips as they brushed against hers. 

 

“I love you,” he whispered, tucking his head back against her neck.

 

She felt his eyes close and closed her own as well. 

 

“I love you, too.” she muttered into his hair, “More than you could ever understand.”

 

His arms tightened around her in response, and she felt the last of the tension in his body melt away as his body began to make the move towards sleep.

 

Pressing a last kiss against him, Jemma settled into sleep herself. Though they weren’t in their normal sleeping position, she was just fine with the arrangement. This way, she could feel his breath against her neck and could lock her arms around him. Though she couldn’t protect him from the ghost of his past, she would do her best to protect him from anymore harm. It was the same promise she had made to herself after Maveth and she refused to break it. 

 

Fitz’s heart, she knew, was hers, just as hers was his, and she would fight with everything she possessed to make sure that nothing ever wounded it again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self projection? Who me?
> 
> Also bonus points to the person who gets the reference buried in this chapter


End file.
